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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.